School district breaks ground on Highland Rebuild. Here’s what it will look like

Published at 6:56 pm, March 19, 2025

Logan Ramsey, EastIdahoNews.com

Exterior — A rendering depicting what the exterior of the new section of building will look like. | Courtesy PCSD 25

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POCATELLO – The rebuild of Highland High School has officially begun.

Officials from the high school and Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25 and other community leaders broke ground on an ambitious $56.5 million project to restore Highland to a fully-functioning school. The ceremony on Wednesday marked the beginning of a multi-year, multi-phase construction process.

“Thank you to everyone who helped and served and sacrificed for this moment,” said Deanna Judy, chairwoman of the school district Board of Trustees. “The future looks bright.”

Highland Rebuild groundbreaking — Officials break ground on the new project. | Logan Ramsey, EastIdahoNews.com

In April 2023, a fire ripped through the school’s D-wing, leaving that section of the school, about 75,000 square feet, as a total loss. Among the lost facilities were the gymnasium, cafeteria, weight room, band/orchestra room and choir room.

After two years of planning and development, the construction project that will replace and upgrade the lost facilities has begun.

Although the original budget allocated to the project was $64 million, it came in under budget after being put out to bid to contractors. The School Board has not decided what it will do with the remaining $7.5 million.

The new section of Highland will include a new commons area that will also serve as a cafeteria, kitchen, gymnasium, weight room, auditorium and multiple music rooms

Construction will last for around two and a half years and will continue as school is in session. The district plans to make accommodations throughout the process to adjust for testing schedules.

The project will be completed in two phases:

Focusing on the gym, cafeteria, commons area and new classrooms. The district expects to have this completed in January 2027.
Focusing on the performing arts center, music and drama classrooms, and outdoor courtyard. The district expects this to be complete by July 2027.

“We are on a … historic day where we will move forward to bring Highland High School into the 21st century,” said Douglas Howell, district superintendent.

Here’s what the school will look like:

Commons Courtyard — A rendering depicting what the new commons courtyard will look like. | Courtesy PCSD 25

Auditorium — A rendering depicting what the new auditorium will look like. | Courtesy PCSD 25

Commons Area — A rendering depicting what the new commons area will look like. | Courtesy PCSD 25

Commons Stairs — A rendering depicting what the new commons stairs will look like. | Courtesy PCSD 25

Entry Hallway — A rendering depicting what the new entry hallway will look like. | Courtesy PCSD 25

Gym entry stairs — A rendering depicting what the new gym entry stairs will look like. | Courtesy PCSD 25

Gym Entry — A rendering depicting what the new gym entry will look like. | Courtesy PCSD 25

Gymnasium — A rendering depicting what the new gymnasium will look like. | Courtesy PCSD 25

Weight Room — A rendering depicting what the new weight room will look like. | Courtesy PCSD 25

You can view the renderings and maps of the Highland Rebuild here and find out more about the project on its website.

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